Blackened Blood Forest
by Daydreaming on a Rock
Summary: AU. A demon lives within this forest. They say he was born normal, but changed after his 17th birthday. They say that he had killed more people than the officials care to count. And they also say that the only people who can enter the forest without getting slaughtered are his two little sisters.
1. Prologue

**A/N:** Another story, but this idea came while I was laying awake at night in my bed... Also, I'm not sure if this could be considered horror or not, and I'm not sure if it should stay T rated...

**Summary: **A demon lives within this forest. They say he was born normal, but changed after his 17th birthday. They say that he has killed more people than the officials care to count. And they also say that the only people who can enter the forest without getting slaughtered are his two little sisters.

**Warnings:** Cussing, blood, murder, little insanity (not funny insanity, real insanity), character death.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach, or it's character, or anything related to it.

* * *

_Prologue_

They say that some time ago, a demon's child was born into this world. That child was normal for many, many years. But after his 17th birthday, the traits of his heritage began to show.

At first, the only thing that happened was that he stopped ageing. But then, he gained the ability to change. He could change his hair, his eyes, his face, his height, and even his weight with ease. Along with these changes, he also gained the need to kill.

The people who raised him were said to be very afraid for him. They thought they had done something wrong, and that they were the reason why he had gotten like that. So, they did everything in their power to help him.

Whether he wanted that help or not is unknown. His urge to kill was stopped for several year, and along with that, his insane antics were supposedly stopped. Three years he was considered as normal as possible. That was untill he murdered his parents brutally on the day of his mother's birthday.

For some unknown reason he did not harm his two sisters. Wouldn't even let them into the house on that day. They say he had locked every door and every window just before he committed the murder. His sisters were shocked to find him about three hours after, splattered with blood and carrying a dagger, climbing out of one of the windows.

That was when they had heard the sirens. Shortly after he climbed out of the window, he was caught and charged with murder. But instead of a swift arrest, the officer who had him handcuffed was killed. He had forgotten to take the dagger from him. But, other than that extra death, nothing happened beside's the demon child's arrest.

He was put in an institution after he attempted to kill four other people. His sisters still remained the only two people he would even consider listening to. They came once a week to see him, and for that he was glad. But his "condition" only worsened the longer he stayed in there.

It was said that at midnight exactly he escaped from his room and slaughtered every staff member, and every other occupant within the institution, with his bare hands. They found the bodies seven hours later, mangled and bloody. Not a soul had survived.

The demon child had already fled from the scene, and the officials had no way of tacking him down. He fled to a forest in which not a soul entered, unless dared or forced to. Now hidden, he stayed there for several years, not doing a thing, and not looking a day past 17.

That was untill a young man stepped foot within the forest on a dare. The man walked through the forest to the middle. He was not seen untill the next day. His friends who had dared him to enter the forest found his corpse at the border several hours later. He was twisted, bloody, and missing a few limbs.

They said that shortly after they called 911, they heard the most twisted, insane laughter anyone could ever imagine. It was so sickening to listen to, that a few of them fled quickly, afraid for their lives. But the laughing soon stopped when the police officials reached the border.

Half of them went into the forest to search for the killer. Some of them already knew who had done it. But, they were never seen again. People say they died, but no one knows what to believe.

Every person who lives near the Blackened Blood Forest had heard of this tale. They even called the forest that due to the smears of old, blackened blood that could be found on the trees along the border. A warning sign, or sorts.

Only two people have ever entered the forest and come out alive, and they were the demon's two little sisters. They were considered weird, since they had a freak of an older brother. But after a young couple saw them walking out of the forest, they became a source for information regarding the forest. Anybody who had a question about it came to them, but if it was a question regarding their brother, then they refused to answer.

No deaths had happened for several more years. The demon was now at the age of 26, and his sisters were in their late teens. They still say that if you stand by the border then you can hear the demon's insane laughter echoing from the forest. But now many people are calling a myth of sorts. Saying that the demon never existed, and that it was the media's idea of a twisted joke.

So, people started going into the forest once again. The people who entered the forest were only ever found again as a corpse on the border. But the people still ignored the signs that the demon was actually living within the forest. That was untill a young boy was killed and found outside his parent's home with a cloaked figure standing over him.

The parents, who had found their boy, said that the figure grinned insanely, laughed, and disappeared. The only thing they had seen of the figure besides the cloak he was wearing was his sharp, blood stained teeth, and his insane, golden eyes.

Nobody knows if what the parents had said was true, but now the people knew. They knew that there was a demon living in their forest that would kill any soul who entered it. Any soul besides his sisters. They also knew, that at the moment, there was nothing they could do about it.

* * *

**A/N:** Prologue is finally done! Now all I have to do is work on my project, and work on writing the other chapters for both this story and my other ones...


	2. Kill

**A/N:** First actual chapter! Thanks so much to everyone who's read this, favorited this, and followed this! Also, thanks to **Scarlett Kuchiki**, **HappyBlossom**, **Sakura-Yuki15**, **Rhyme13kh14Xion8**, **bajeeby** and **deathslove26 **for reviewing! I wrote this at six this morning on my iPad, and managed to copy it down onto my computer just before my Guitar lesson today so... Your all pretty lucky I've updated today. If I hadn't written it at six, then it'd of probably taken me four days to actually write this.

**HappyBlossom-** To answer your question, and I'm hoping you were talking about Rukia since you typed Russia, she'll get involved with him in either an expected or unexpected way, depending on how you read the story. I'm not going to give anything away. But she won't show up in the story untill the next chapter.

**deathslove26- **I actually hadn't considered killing her, but that is an idea. If I do kill her, she won't be the first death, but she'll probably be the most brutally killed. I find her really girly and weak...

**Warnings:** Cussing, blood, murder, little insanity (not funny insanity, real insanity), character death.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach, or it's character, or anything related to it.

"Speaking"  
_"Thoughts"__  
_**"Notes/Writing"**

* * *

Chapter One  
_Kill_

Footsteps echoed throughout the forest. The owner of the footsteps looked around nervously. _"Why oh why did I let them convince me to come in here?" _He thought, his hands shaking. A drop of sweat rolled down his cheek as he heard something snap behind him.

He spun around, breathing hard, and scared out of his mind. "H-hello? I-is anyone there?" He called out, not seeing anything. The only response he got was a crow's caw. He jumped slightly at the sound, and looked around. He started walking slowly, his eyes darting back an forth.

A chilling laugh echoed around him, causing him to scream in terror. The laughter only got louder at his scream. "W-who are you!? Answer me!" He shouted, looking around franticly.

The laughter stopped at his demand. A cold voice rang out, causing him to shake. "That, you pitiful sack of meat, do not need to know."

He ran at that. He ran hard, his feet pounding on the ground and his breath coming out in short gasps. His heart was pounding so hard in his chest that he was surprised the other couldn't hear it.

A sharp pain came from his abdomen and he looked up, suddenly finding himself on the ground. Sharp, terrifying golden eyes glared back down at him. "P-please don't hurt me!" He attempted to plead with him, frightened for his life. The other grinned evilly.

"You honestly think that I'd hurt you?" He asked, still grinning, in an innocent voice. He kneeled down beside him and watched as the other man attempted to scramble backwards, away from him. He grabbed his leg, still grinning.

"L-let go!" He said, he eyes widening as the other shook his head. He barely saw something glint in the corner of his eye. Something cold was pressed against his cheek and he shivered involuntarily. _"Oh god, what is that!?"_ He felt a sharp pain in his cheek now.

"What a-are you doing!?" He nearly screamed as the pain got worse. He noticed the other man's eyes were focused on his cheek, and he barely felt sort of liquid slid down his cheek.

"Oh, nothing important, really." He replied, making their "conversation" sound casual. "Tell me something," he continued as the other shook slightly.

"W-what?" He stuttered. The pain in his cheek was a dull throb and he desperately wanted to put his hand over it, just to see what the other had done to him.

"What's your name?" He asked, turning his golden eyes to the other's face. "Answer me quickly and I might not kill you."

"H-Hanatarō Yamada," he stuttered quickly and nearly sighed when the grip on his leg let up. He yelped when the other pulled him up off the ground "Will you tell me your name?" He asked, gaining some confidence but still not quite trusting the other.

"Hmm..." he didn't respond immediately as he looked down at Hanatarō. "Ichigo Kurosaki," he finally said as the other placed a hand over his cheek.

Hanatarō grinned slightly, but it vanished quickly when He saw what Ichigo had used on his cheek. A bloody, slightly rusty dagger.

Ichigo let out an insane laugh suddenly and gripped the dagger hard in his hand, swinging it towards the other's throat. "Never get comfortable around someone you don't know!" He laughed and the dagger slit Hanatarō's throat.

Searing pain was all that he felt, in both his neck and his head. He was aware that he had fallen onto the ground, but black spots were beginning to fill his vision. He barely heard what Ichigo told him. It became harder for him to breath and he struggled to look up. He saw the orange haired demon_(1)_ standing about him with one foot on his chest, twirling the bloody dagger with two fingers.

Ichigo grinned as Hanatarō's eyes closed and his breathing stopped. He tsked slightly. "Guess that advice won't do you any good, now will it?" He laughed as he picked his foot up off the other's unmoving form. "Now to get you to the border..." He picked up the body and threw it over his shoulder.

He began walking towards the border, slipping the dagger into a loose belt he wore. He hummed slightly as he walked, looking up at a golden eyed crow that cawed. He chuckled and shook his head grinning. "That was fun, huh?" He spoke as he held out his hand.

The crow flew off the branch and landed on his hand. "The most fun I've had in a while. He actually thought that I wouldn't kill him!" He laughed loudly as the crow shifted on his hand.

As he laughed, he spotted the border. "Heh, last stop," he mumbled and dropped Hanatarō's body unceremoniously by the border. He ran his fingers across the other's throat, grinning as they got covered in blood. _"Hmp, still warm." _He thought as he ran his fingers over at tree closest to them.

"I think I heard something!" He heard someone shout and grinned. The crow flew off his fingers and he climbed into a tree. He saw a group of people run towards Hanatarō's corpse and grinned as they screamed in terror and grief. "We should have never convinced him that it would have been a good idea to do that!" One of them cried out, sobbing.

He laughed insanely now, causing one of them to scream out in terror again. With an evil grin, he walked along the branch he was on and back into the forest. He jumped down onto a rock and laughed again. "God, I love their reactions. They get better and better every time!" He could hear sirens in the distance and smirked. "That won't do them any good. Nobodies ever survived the blade of my dagger. The kid's gone, end of story."

* * *

**A/N:** Now I feel kind of bad since I killed Hanatarō... Oops. Well, now all I've gotta do is research taxes, draw a college, write Chapter Two for Kingdom, and write days 2-5 for D.M.W... Ah well, review!


	3. Report

**A/N: **This one took me a bit of thought to write. Also, I know that Hanatarō's death was sort of out of the blue, but I needed to kill him in order to actually start this story. Thanks so much to everyone who's read, reviewed, favorited (is that even a word?) and followed this story! It's apparently the best one I've written so far... Guess my friends were right. I must be good at writing deaths and horrifying things... This chapters kind of a filler, so it'll be just a bit boring. No deaths... *sighs*

**Warnings:** Cussing, blood, murder, little insanity (not funny insanity, real insanity), character death.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach, or it's character, or anything related to it.

"Speaking"  
_"Thoughts"__  
_**"Notes/Writing"**

* * *

Chapter Two  
_Report_

The sound of pencils writing, copying machines chugging, and aimless talking filled the room. Two people in particular were talking quite loudly by one of their desks. "Did you hear what happened to Hanatarō?" The man, Renji Abarai, asked the woman in front of him.

"Ugh, yes, I did," the woman, Rangiku Matsumoto, replied. "Poor kid. Makes you wonder why he went into the forest at all."

Renji nodded slightly, hitting a pencil against the wood of the desk. "I heard Rukia's going to be the one to write a report on his death."

Rangiku's eyes widened slightly as he spoke, and she nearly choked on the "coffee" she was drinking. "Eh!?" She coughed out, come of the clear "coffee" dripping out of the cup she was holding. "Won't that be her first time though!?"

"It will be who's first time doing what?" A voice sounded behind her, causing her to jump and drop the cup. It clattered on the floor, spilling its contents. She spun around and looked down, seeing the topic of their discussion standing right in front of her, violet eyes narrowed.

"Oh, Rukia! Hi! You scared the crap out of me!" She sad, not answering her.

"It will be who's first time doing what?" She repeated, crossing her arms over her chest as she glared up at the others.

"Reporting a death," Renji said casually, as if it was a normal thing. Which it almost was. He watched as the shorter woman's arms fell to her sides and her eyes widened. Her mouth opened, but for a few seconds not a sound came out.

"What do you mean "reporting a death"!?" She nearly shouted as Matsumoto cringed slightly.

"Uh, well, uh." Her stuttering gained her the attention now, but luckily she was saved. By probably the last person she would want to save her, but still.

"Matsumoto! Is that sake on the ground!?" The question was shouted, causing her to cringe. But, for the moment, the shorter woman's attention was turned away from her.

"Uh, no it's not!" She lied, gaining a glare as their boss, Toshiro Hitsugaya, walked up to them.

"Really now. What is it then?" He asked, crossing his arms as he stood beside Rukia.

"Ummmm... Does Rukia have to report on Hanatarō's death!?" She asked quickly, completely changing the subject.

"Yes, she does," he glanced over at Rukia as he spoke, who frowned. "And I don't care how she does it, as long as it gets done. Now answer me, Matsumoto!"

Her violet eyes narrowed as she looked down at the ground. _"I have to report it, yet he doesn't care how I do it? But he's always given people instructions on how to report something... Hmp, how should I report this, then? I could try to ask the demon freak's sister, but they probably won't answer me... I could ask the police, but they keep most of the deaths confidential, so that's a no..."_

She left the office quickly, with only two thoughts on her mind. How she was going to report this death, and how much she hated working for the newspaper.

* * *

Golden eyes gazed up at the sky. It had been one day from his last kill, and he could still hear the kid's pleading. He grinned slightly, but it vanished quickly.

_"Something's going to happen, I just know it... And it has nothing to do with me killing other people..." _He scowled as he thought and sat down on a rock. _"But what is it?"_

He heard the crow caw and take flight behind him. It didn't stir him from his thoughts.

* * *

It's wings flapped hard as it flew against the win, heading into the town. _"His thoughts are jumbled again. Being out casted from his kind isn't good for him. The revenge he takes is starting to get to his head. It's not good for him."_

Several houses passed before it spotted it's destination. It landed on the window sill and peered into one of the windows, looking for the target. It spotted him, and watched him for a few second.

The man was sewing, and would continuously push his glasses up his nose. The raven-colored hair fell into his eyes constantly.

_"He will do." _It thought as it banged it's talons against the window to get the man's attention.

"Hm?" He looked up and towards the window, seeing the golden eyed crow standing on the sill. "That's bizarre. What's it doing?" He thought as he watched the crow shift. He stood up and went over to the window. "Shoo!" He said as he opened the window and waved his hand at the crow.

It bit his hand. _"Foolish human."_

"Ow! Why you! Get out of here! Shoo!" He shouted, trying to scare off the bird. In turn, it flew into the man's house. "Argh! Get out!" He shouted as it landed on his table. He picked up a knife and threw it at the crow, startling it.

_"I underestimated him. He'll give him a fight, I know that much. Maybe even knock some sense into him." _It flew upwards, but not before grabbing what he had been sewing, and flew out the window.

"Give that back, you stupid bird!" He shouted and ran out of his house, following the crow, and gaining many strange stared from others.

* * *

**A/N:** Well, that's the end to this chapter. And I only failed at spelling once! I accidently spelled window wrong twice. I spelled it indwow and dinwow... Next chapter will be more exciting, and longer(ish)! Anyway, review!


	4. First Sighting

**A/N: **I wrote this one when I couldn't sleep last night. I was extremely nervous so I fell asleep at midnight and woke up at around 4:30 in the morning... It sucked. Anyway, thanks to everyone who read, favorited (seriously, is this a word?), and followed this story! This chapters a bit more exciting, but it might not be as long as I wanted it to be.

**Warnings:** Cussing, blood, murder, little insanity (not funny insanity, real insanity), character death.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach, or it's character, or anything related to it.

"Speaking"  
_"Thoughts"__  
_**"Notes/Writing"**

* * *

Chapter Three  
_First Sighting_

He chased the crow for some ways. The dumb bird had the shirt he was making, and he wasn't going to let it ruin it. But one thought was still nagging him. _"Why a crow?"_ He ran through the streets, shouting at it, and trying to catch it. Peopled gazed at him with weird and confused looks, but he ignored them.

The bird would not stop. It continued flying, the shirt clenched tightly in it's talons. It was flying in the direction of the forest, intending to make the man run into the forest to get his shirt back.

Blackened Blood was in his line of sight now, and the crow wasn't stopping. He watched as it flew into the trees, and hesitated. He knew of the deaths that happened. He knew of the demon that lived in there. But that bird had taken his shirt! _"Is it really worth it though? Is it truly worth practically presenting myself to a demon just to get one shirt back, when I most likely won't come out alive?" _He thought.

_"Yes, it is." _He decided and took a breath. On the inside he was freaking out. He didn't want to die, but he needed to get that shirt back! He wasn't about to let a dumb bird take something of his! He ran into the trees, now hoping to catch sight of the bird.

As he was running he picked up a rather large stick, and gripped it tightly. His eyes darted back and forth nervously, half looking for the crow, and half looking for the demon. His breathing was beginning to get labored when he spotted the white fabric of the shirt in front of him.

He swung the stick in an arch, and grinned when he heard the crow squawk in pain. It let go of the shirt, and he caught it quickly, not letting it hit the ground.

"Did you just hit my bird?"

* * *

Rukia stood with her hands on her hips. She was at the border, glaring into the trees. She had just seen someone run into there, and she had wanted to stop him. But it was strange, since he was chasing a crow. That was very strange.

She looked at the trees that towered over her. The blood, she noticed, and clearly been wiped on. Most likely by the demon. It was clearly a warning to anyone who approached the forest from this side. A lot of the blood looked very old, and she wondered just how long he had lived in this forest. She also wondered just how many people he had killed.

* * *

He jumped, startled. He dropped both the shirt and the stick in the process. He spun around and saw Ichigo staring at him, his eyes narrowed and his teeth slightly bared.

"N-no!" He stuttered, lying.

"Do not lie to me, Uryū!" Ichigo snarled, glaring at him. His golden eyes burned with hatred.

"H-how do you know my name!?" Uryū squawked, stepping backwards. His blue eyes were wide, and his breathing was harsh and irregular from his running. He glanced down and saw the stick beside his left foot, and picked it up slowly.

"You don't remember, do you? We were classmates back in high school. We never really spoke, and yet we knew the other was there. Remember? I was the freak and you were the geek," he sneered, taking a few steps toward him.

"I remember no such thing!" He snapped back, taking a few steps back. He had lied again. Of course he remembered him now. He could never forget all the rumors he had heard about him, how he was said to be a freak that could change his own shape at will, and stuff along those lines.

"Your still lying!" Ichigo hissed as he walked towards him. After a few more steps they were nose to nose. He grinned when he heard the other's harsh, irregular breathing.

Uryū tried to step backwards, but he found his back pressed up against a tree. He gripped the stick hard and stared into the demon's blazing, golden eyes.

"And now I'm going to kill you," he whispered and slowly pulled the dagger out of his belt. He was about to slit Uryū's throat with it, when he felt a sudden pain in his face and found himself on the ground. "What the!?"

_"He hit me with that stick!" _He thought angrily as he watched the other begin running away, dropping the stick in the process. A low growl came from his throat and he stood up, running after him.

Uryū could hear the other's footsteps behind him. His breathing was very harsh, and his heart was beating hard. _"I'm going to die..." _He thought when Ichigo appeared in front of him. "What!?"

Ichigo grinned. "You must have forgotten that I am a demon! Of course I'm going to be able to different things than you!" He laughed as he pushed him onto the ground, the dagger in his hand. "Now die!" He stabbed the dagger into the other's eye, causing him to cream out in pain.

* * *

The scream of pain echoed from the forest, causing Rukia to jump as she was taking pictures of the dried blood. _"It's that guy from before! He's being killed!" _She thought franticly, cringing as another scream echoed.

* * *

He was grinning as the other screamed in pain, trying to shake him off. He pulled the dagger from his eye and stabbed it into his throat. A gurgle escaped him as blood dripped from his mouth and eye.

_"Never thought I'd die this way. It's so painful..."_ Uryū thought as little black specs filled his vision. He couldn't breath, and he knew that his heart was slowly stopping. The pain was slowly fading as his eyelids grew heavy. _"It's all that stupid bird's fault..."_

As he yanked out the dagger, he looked down at Uryū's body. One of the other's eyes was open and blood was slowly dripping from it's companion and his mouth. "Heh. That was fun," he grinned as he spoke.

The crow cawed behind him. "Yeah, yeah. I know. You were the one to bring him here, so it's thanks to you that I got a bit of entertainment." He said, speaking to the crow as if they were having a conversation. "But now I have to get him back to the border," he stood up and slung the corpse over his shoulder.

He began to walk as the crow flew in front of him. A frown painted his lips as he thought. _"Why do I think that something is going to happen still...?"_

* * *

Rukia jumped when she heard something snap. She hid behind a tree and cautiously looked around it. She barely hid a gasp at what she saw.

The demon was standing barely three meters away from her, and he was putting the man's body on the ground, treating him like a sack of potatoes.

That was when she saw the blood. His eye was practically gone and his throat was completely slashed. She watched as Ichigo ran his fingers over Uryū's neck, then wipe his fingers over the back of the closest tree. _"It must be a warning,"_ she thought as he grinned slightly.

She let out an audible gasp when he turned towards her. His eyes were what she noticed first. A deep, burning golden that swirled with hatred, the need for revenge, and something else. Worry, maybe? His facial features caught her attention next.

High cheek bones, a sharp chin, and scowling lips were what she saw right off the bat. But she soon noticed a deep scar on his chin that went down onto his neck. For some reason he was just standing there, letting her look at him.

She looked at his clothes now. They were tattered rags, stained with blood, and were clearly stolen and hand patched. She could see his muscles underneath the thin shirt, but she could also see each of his ribs.

He coughed slightly to gain her attention. She looked up at him, and he smirked lightly. Then he pointed towards Uryū and spun on his heel.

He walked away, back into the forest. She sighed softly and looked at Uryū's body again. She called 911 with one thought on her mind. _"He didn't kill me..."_

* * *

**A/N: **It is finished. I added Ichigo's description last minute. I was really hesitant to write this chapter because I really didn't want to kill Uryū... But I finally wrote it, and killed him. How was it?


	5. Confusion

**EDITED: **Monday, February 04, 2013

**A/N: **For this chapter, I wrote it, and then rewrote it. It was that boring... Anyway, thanks so much to everyone who reviewed, read, followed, and favorited this story! I appreciate it! I'm beginning to work on rewriting some of this story to make it a little more insane, and this chapter was my starting point. Also, I was just barely able to upload this chapter today. I had started writing it, got kicked off, worked on it, computer froze, worked on it, got kicked off, and then I finally finished it! So, enjoy!

**Warnings:** Cussing, blood, murder, little insanity (not funny insanity, real insanity), character death.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach, or it's character, or anything related to it.

"Speaking"  
_"Thoughts"__  
_**"Notes/Writing"**

* * *

Chapter Four  
_Confusion_

_"Why didn't he kill me? What were his reasons? Why?"_ These questions nagged Rukia as she stared into the forest. The police were working around her, trying to cover up the blood stains on the ground. The corpse had already been removed.

The sun was setting. Dark shadows were cast across the ground, and the forest looked even creepier. She continued to stare into the forest, glaring ever so slightly at a certain spot in the trees. She could see his eyes, watching everything that was taking place.

He grinned as he fingered his dagger, watching them. A low chuckle escaped his lips, causing Rukia to cring slightly at the sound. _"She knows I'm still here, eh? Well good for her. Maybe now I can mess with her a little," _he thought as he quickly cut off a branch. He sharpened the point, aimed it, and threw it.

The branch flew through the air and passed by Rukia, barely missing her left ear. She spun around to see where the branch had landed. Her eyes widened when she saw it.

It was sticking out of the back of one of the police officer's necks. Blood was dripping from where it had struck him, and a soft gurgled came from his throat. He collapsed on the ground.

Nobody moved. _"W-was that meant for me!? Or had it meant it hit him!?" _Rukia thought, panicking, her eyes wide with terror. The only thing see had seen along those lines was Uryū's corpse, and even then he was already dead. She heard another hiss and looked up from the police officer to see another stick flying through the air.

She cringed slightly as she watched it. Fear and horror were the two things she felt right now, but it was mainly horror. She sucked in a breath. _"W-who's it g-going to hit...?" _She thought as a few tears began too form, but she refused to let them fall. _"I-I don't w-want to see a-another person get h-hit with one of t-those..." _Her thoughts vanished as the stick finally hit it's target.

It stuck a different police officer in the eye. He screamed in pain, his hand going to his eyes almost instantly. Another stick struck him, this time hitting him directly in his hand. He screamed once more, but was cut off by a final stick getting lodged in his throat.

A thump echoed around them as he fell. The silence was over whelming. Fear was slowly taking over the horror, as well as misery. _"God, why won't he s-stop!? He's g-getting nothing from killing all these p-people!" _The tears still threatened to fall as she spin around and looked back into the trees.

She yelped when a stick lodged itself into the ground in front of her right food. Her hands were shaking, her tears were forgotten, and her heart was beating quickly. She was aware that the officers were looking at her.

They all waited for the next stick to come, but none did. Her breathing slowly went back to normal and she took a step back. She jumped when another stick lodged itself in front of her left foor. _"What...!?"_

She started walking backwards, and with each step she took, another arrow struck the ground in front of her feet. They stopped when she got right next to the road. Her gaze was directed straight at the last stick he had lodged into the ground. She sucked in another breath, and quickly exhaled as she clenched her fists, trying to get them to stop shaking.

A car drove past them, and she let out a sigh. _"Nothings going to happen now, huh?" _She thought slowly and she could barely hear Ichigo's insane laughter. Her hands slowly stopped shaking and she shook her head. _"That bastard... That sick and twisted bastard..." _Her eyes narrowed, _"I need answers... Now."_

Her feet pounded on the pavement as the light from the sun slowly vanished. She dodged around people, trying desperately to find her destination. _"Where is it...?" _Her breathing was beginning to get forced as she continued.

The sun had almost completely disappeared from the sky when she finally spotted her destination. With the moon slowly rising in front of her, she pondered how she would ask her questions.

_"They probably won't answer me at all... But they might if I told them that he didn't kill me... But I doubt it... Argh! How am I supposed to ask them!" _She mentally shouted the last part, her frustration beginning to get the best of her.

She began to walk up the steps to the porch as an owl hooted loudly nearby. The sudden noise made her jump. _"Better hurry up, I guess." _She knocked on the door three times and waited.

No answer, so she knocked again. She waited a little longer, and she soon heard the distinctive click of a doorknob being turned. The owl hooted again as the door opened, and she looked up.

* * *

**A/N: **Well, these it is. It has been edited so that the ending wasn't as rushed, and so that I could add a few more sentences into the mainly unedited part. How was it?


	6. Interrogation

**A/N: **Sorry for the long-ish wait (compared to the other chapters, anyway). I had writers block. Plus now I have to write an essay on depression... So, thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited, and followed this story! This chapter may or may not be very good... I don't know... Also, I may not update often anymore. I have no idea when I'll be able to use a computer anymore.

**Note: **Anybody who hasn't re-read the ending to the last chapter should probably do that, or else you'll get lost. Just sayin'.

**Warnings:** Cussing, blood, murder, little insanity (not funny insanity, real insanity), character death.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach, or it's character, or anything related to it.

"Speaking"  
_"Thoughts"__  
_**"Notes/Writing"**

* * *

Chapter Five  
_Interrogation_

__The owl hooted again as the door opened, and she looked up.

Violet eyes stared into curious dark brown. With her head tilted to the side, the woman who had opened the door opened her mouth to speak.

"Hello, what can I do for you?" She asked curiously. It wasn't every day somebody showed up during the night, looking worse for wear and extremely cautious. _"If I didn't know better, I would have guessed that she had met Ichi-nii."_

Rukia slowly processed what the other had said. She still hadn't figured out how she was going to do this. "Uhhh... Well, ummm..." _"How do I ask...? I can't just ask her outright..." _"Can I ask you something?"

"Well, it depends on what it is..." She replied slowly as she looked down at the older but shorter woman. _"What could she possibly want to know...?"_

"Uhhh, well I just have a few questions about your brother..." She watched as the other's eyes narrowed slightly. "I just-" She cut Rukia off, speaking in an angry tone.

"I'm sorry," she said, even thought they both knew that she wasn't, "but I, nor my sister, answer questions that have anything to do with him, unless they have to do with the forest itself."

Rukia mentally sighed, having expected that reaction. _"Maybe if I ask some questions that have to do with the forest..." _She thought. "I also have some questions about the forest as well," she said quickly, trying to both calm the younger woman and convince her that she wasn't going to ask about Ichigo any time soon.

"Oh?" Her eyes were still narrowed. "Well, if that's the case, then I suppose you can come in... If you tell me your name."

_"She just wants me to tell her my name? Well, alright... I guess I can do that." _"Rukia Kuchiki," she said, and received a nod in reply. The younger woman stepped out of the way and held the door open for her to pass through.

"I'm Yuzu Kurosaki," she said as she waited for Rukia to take off her shoes. _"She doesn't seem that bad... But she had better not ask any questions about Ichi-nii."_

* * *

"I thought Rukia was supposed to report this?" Renji said as he stood at the border, his arms crossed over his chest. He glared into the trees, having been woken up from a nap when he was forced to come out here.

"She was supposed to report Uryū's death. Not the police officers' deaths," Matsumoto replied as she looked around at the blood and multiple sticks littering the ground. _"I wonder what happened here..."_

__"Well, how are we supposed to know how these guys died if the police won't tell us!?" He nearly shouted, his anger taking hold. He was no longer thinking clearly.

"Oh, I don't know. Why don't you just go into the forest and ask the demon yourself?" She wasn't serious as she suggested the idea, but she was shocked at his answer.

"Now theres an idea! First idea you've had all week!" He said loudly and she turned to look at him. Her eyes widened when she saw him walking towards the forest.

* * *

She looked around as Yuzu lead her into the kitchen. A black haired woman sitting at the table looked up at them. _"Her sister?"_

"Who the hell are you?" She snapped at Rukia bluntly, receiving a glared from her sister and a startled look from the older woman.

"This is Rukia, Karin, now be nice," Yuzu said as she sat down. Rukia sat down slowly, gazing around warily as the two sisters glared slightly at each other. She could tell that they were uneasy, most likely because of her.

"Anyway, I think you should ask your questions now before it gets any darker."

"Right..." _"What to ask... What to ask..." _"What does the blood on the trees stand for?" _"Okay, that was a slightly stupid question_."

"The blood?" Yuzu repeated, and received a nod. She thought for a few seconds. "Well, its basically just a kind of "Keep Out" sign, only done in other people's blood," she said slowly.

"Okay..." Rukia said, thinking silently. "Uhhh... Why does your brother live in that forest? Why not a different one?"

Yuzu hesitated to answer. "Should I answer...?" She nearly sighed in relief when Karin spoke for her.

"Because Blackened Blood was the closest forest, and he just hasn't left," she said in an annoyed tone. _"God, why won't she just leave already?"_

"That makes sense..." She said, thinking once more. _"Errrr... I'm running out of questions that involve the forest... Uhhh... Maybe I could ask... No, no, that would never work... Ummmm..." _"What kind of animals live in the forest. _"God, all that thought and that was all I could come up with? I'm so dumb..."_

__Yuzu and Karin glanced at each other, having expected a different question. "Well, there's all sorts of animals, really," The blonde started.

"Deer, raccoons, crows, ravens, mice," Karin started listing off the different animals.

"Just animals in general really." They finished as Rukia nodded softly.

_"Alright, I've asked a few questions. Maybe, just maybe, I can manage to ask them about the freak- I mean their brother. Maybe they'll answer,"_ she thought slowly, biting her lip softly, hoping it would work. "Why, exactly, does your brother kill other people?"

* * *

"Renji! I was joking! Don't go in there!" Matsumoto shouted as he walked into the forest. Her blue eyes widened when he responded.

"It'll be fine! Worse thing that could happen is my death! I'm sure he's never had anyone approach him with questions, so maybe it could work!" He waved his hand over his shoulder slightly and walked deeper into the forest.

"God damn it Renji! Get back here!" She shouted desperately, and ran into the forest after him. _"Where are you, where are you, where are you..."_ She repeated that thought over and over in her head as she looked around the forest.

It was pitch black and the only sounds she could hear was her own footsteps and breathing. "Renji! Answer me!" She shouted into the still air, her panic and fear rising. For a while, only silence answered her.

That was when she heard a pained scream. "Renji!" She ran hard in the direction of the scream, only one thought on her mind. _"You had better not be dead."_

* * *

**A/N: **Well, there ya' have it! Finally finished. I had my nephew proof read this, since I really didn't want to re-read it again. He laughed a lot at some parts, which I found kind of weird... But anyway, I'll try to update between Sundays and Thursdays. Tell me what you think!


	7. Pain, Fear, and More Confusion

**A/N: **I have finally written this chapter! Heh... Well, this one didn't quite go as planned... At all... But it's still good, either way... Have I ever mentioned that I _hate _winter? Well, I do. It's to cold and wet for my tastes. Yuck.

**Warnings:** Cussing, blood, murder, little insanity (not funny insanity, real insanity), character death.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach, or it's character, or anything related to it.

"Speaking"  
_"Thoughts"__  
_**"Notes/Writing"**

* * *

Chapter Six**  
**_Pain, Fear, and More Confusion_**  
**

Pain. Searing, scorching pain was all Renji felt. His eyes were shut tightly as he bit his tongue, feeling something sharp prick his skin again. He had already lost all feeling in his right arm, and he was aware of the blood that was dripping from it, covering the ground.

_"Oh god, it hurts, it hurts! Why was I such an idiot!? What did I think this would accomplish!? Ow!" _His mind went blank as the pain moved to his face, and he was aware of a weight that was now on his chest. _"Is he... Sitting on me...?" _The pain got worse and he winced.

A headache was slowly forming from the loss of blood, and his breathing was irregular, due to the other's weight, He could hear a cruel chuckle above him every once in a while, especially when he screamed. _"Damn him... If only I had listened to Rangiku... Then this wouldn't of happened..." _He bit his tongue again, drawing blood, trying not to scream as the pain got worst.

He could hear something in the distance. _"What...? Ow!"_ Pain surged through his cheek, causing him to scream. His eyes snapped open and he looked up at the demon, who had lodged the rusty dagger into his cheek. The darkness made him look more frightening than he was. But, he realized, Ichigo wasn't even looking at him. _"What is he looking at?" _He winced as the other man yanked out the dagger.

"Renji!" _"Oh god! It's Rangiku! No, no, no! Bad idea to come here! Very bad!" _He tilted his head and caught a glimpse of his blonde friend, his worry for her growing. _"Once again, why was I suc__h an idiot!?" _He felt the weight on his chest lift and he saw the demon stand up, holding the bloody dagger in his right hand.

Renji watched as his golden eyes narrowed and he could hear Matsumoto yelling. "You had better not be dead, you idiot!" _"Heh, well I'm certainly not dead, but I can't feel a thing, so I don't know if that counts," _was what he wanted to say, but he couldn't black spots were beginning to fill his vision and he felt like he was being sucked into a vortex.

A shout echoed around him, but he could no longer tell who it had belonged to or what they were saying. He could no longer see and he could barely tell that his eyelids had closed as he allowed himself to be sucked into the never ending darkness.

* * *

Matsumoto breathed deeply as she looked down at her friend's still form. She knew that she should have been worried for him. But at the moment she wasn't. All she knew and cared about at the moment was that he was still alive, barely and probably not for long, and that she wanted to kill the freak that did that to him.

Blue eyes glared into golden, and she could feel her hatred for this... thing rising. She refused to see the demon as an actual living thing, not after all he had done. But there was one small little setback. She was unarmed, and he was armed.

_"Well, that's a problem. How exactly do I fight it if I have no weapons and it does...?" _She questions herself, and then answered it instantly. _"I don't. But I can't just leave Renji, not while I know that he's actually here and dieing... Well, I guess I'm just going to have to wing it."_

She jumped slightly when she finally noticed another problem. Ichigo was no longer in front of her, and she had no idea where he had gone. _"W-what!? It can't possibly move that fast, even if it is a demon! Where is-!?" _Her thoughts were cut off when she found herself face first on the ground.

Rolling onto her back, thus leaving herself exposed for an attack, she saw nothing. There was no sign of what had happened. _"Did he kick me, or what!? Where the hell is-!?" _Her thoughts were cut off again as a sharp pain came from her arm. She barely heard the sound of bones being crushed as she turned her head.

_"He's not there! But it has to be him doing this!?" _She sat up, her eyes darting back and forth frantically. The darkness was suffocating and silent, causing her fear to gradually increase. Sharp breaths came and went as she looked around, and yet nothing happened for several minutes. _"Where-" _Her eyes went wide.

Soft breaths hit her right ear, and something sharp was pressed against her neck. "You are a foolish girl, you know that...?" The question was whispered and she could barely hear it. The blade dug deeper into her throat, breaking the skin and allowing a small amount of blood to flow.

"And yet you refused to leave your friend. You could have stayed at the border, and yet you came in here, knowing that you most likely wouldn't have made it back out. All for that tattooed man. It makes me wonder, you know? What is he to you exactly?" The blade dug in deeper, and she realized that Ichigo would slit her throat instantly if she didn't answer.

_"If I can keep him distracted, then maybe I can reach my phone and get help. It'll be hard to do... But it's worth a shot..." _She slowly started inching her good hand towards her pocket and licked her lips nervously.

"He's a good friend of mine... I've known him for years..." She started as she looked out of the corner of her eyes. She could see some of his face and watched as his only visible, at least to her, eye narrowed. "We work together, and the only reason either of us are here is because of his small brain, thinking that he could talk to you without getting killed."

A cold chuckle chuckle came from behind her as her hand reached her pocket. _"I just... have to grab... my phone... But, what will I do then...? I can't call anybody... Or maybe I can..." _She nearly smiled at an idea she got.

"Heh, friends," he started talking again. "They are noting but worthless weaknesses, no matter who they are." She watched him carefully as she pressed a button on her phone, timing the click of the phone with his words. "A person's overall stupidity really makes me sick, not that you would care about that. Their mistakes can get another person killed, along with themselves. As you now know."

She hoped desperately that her idea was working, and that the person on the other side of the phone was hearing this. _"Jeez. He must not have had any good friends before he went mad... Wait, when did I start calling him "he"?"_ Her thoughts drifted, but she was brought back down to earth when her air supply got cut off.

"You know, you really shouldn't ignore someone who's talking to you, even in this situat-" He cut himself off as a questioning voice echoed through the phone.

"Matsumoto? What's going on? Who is that talking?"

_"Crap, crap, crap! He spoke!" _Her eyes widened as she watched Ichigo look down at her hand. _"Now what!? He's bound to figure out what I've done!"_

"Who, exactly, just spoke?" He said slowly as he loosened the pressure on her neck. He used his hand that wasn't holding the dagger to grab her wrist.

"Uh, N-nobody! It was nobody!" She said quickly as he yanked her wrist out of her pocket, making her drop her phone. It fell to the ground with a soft thud and they both looked down at it as the voice echoed again.

"What do you mean "nobody", Matsumoto? Who is that with you? I don't recognize his voice."

She tilted her head slightly when she heard a softly growling sound come from Ichigo. _"What... is that sound? Is it seriously coming from him?"_

"Who," he spoke again, "is "Shiro", exactly?

* * *

Two sets of eyes stared at her and she shifted slightly, now uncomfortable and regretful. _"Maybe I shouldn't have asked that question..." _She thought, her gaze flicking back and forth between the twins.

"You said you weren't going to ask anything about him..." Yuzu said slowly as her eyes narrowed slightly, clearly somewhat angry at her for asking such a question.

"Uh, yes, I know I did... But do you think you can answer the question, just this once? Please?" She asked in a pleading voice, biting her lip softly after she finished speaking. She watched as Yuzu shifted slightly and took the hair clip out of her hair. _"What is she doing...?"_

"Well," the blonde began, "we can't answer that question." Rukia's face fell slightly and she nodded slowly, disappointed. "But, you can find out for yourself."

_"Wait, what? Did she just say that?" _Her eyes widened as she stared at Yuzu, her thoughts going crazy. _"She can't be suggesting that I try to go speak to that freak, can she!? You have to be out of your mind to say that!" _She watched as the blonde slid the hair clip towards her. _"What is this for...?_"

"What you have to do to get him to not kill you is simple. All you have to do is show him this hair clip before he actually does kill you," she said, hoping she made sense, as Rukia picked up the red clip.

"That's it?" She asked, completely befuddled. "This seems insanely easy. Why would this clip make it so that he wouldn't kill me?"

"He'll recognize the clip as Yuzu's, the one he got her for her birthday a couple years back, and then he'll know that we sent you, thus he won't kill you. You'll probably be able to ask him anything then, unless you make him mad, and he throws you out of the forest." Karin said in a bored tone, putting her chin in her palm.

"But... Why? Why are you guys giving me this way to speak to him?" She asked, almost afraid of the answer. _"Could they be trying to trick me, or what...?" _She was surprised when Yuzu smiled.

"It's because you seem like you honestly want to know about him, and that you won't reveal anything told to you without permission first. All the other people who have asked us these questions have had the intention of getting to Ichi-nii to kill him."

"Oh..." A million questions pounded in her head, but she asked none of them. She licked her lips as Karin spoke once more.

"You might want to do if before morning though. He's better to be around at night. Something about it calms him, and makes him want to kill less than usual. He talks more at night," she said as Rukia nodded and stood up.

"Uh, thank you. I really appreciate it," she said as they both nodded. She pushed in the chair and started towards the door. Her shoes slipped on easily enough, and she twisted the doorknob, walking through the door.

"Good luck, Rukia," Yuzu said as she stood up, and she could hear Karin snort slightly.

"You're going to need it," was the last thing she heard before the door clicked shut, cutting her off from the twins. She gazed down at the clip resting in the palm of her hand. It was a simple, red clip that seems to hold no significance.

_"I hope this works, for my sake anyway..."_

* * *

**A/N:** I have finally gotten this chapter done! It took me a while since my computer kept updating itself and deleting everything. Anyway, it turned out a lot longer than I expected... So, tell me what you think, and happy Valentines Day!_  
_


	8. Meeting

**A/N: **Finally chapter seven is up! I'll admit it. I was procrastinating badly, and it probably shows in this chapter, since it's a bit boring. I've been thinking about different story ideas that I want to try out, but I'm not sure if I should... I'm also giving up on Tribal War and Kingdom for now. I might pick them back up again, but I doubt it. I'm just not very good at writing those kinds of stories. Anyway (now that I'm done blabbing), thanks a lot to everyone who reviewed, followed, favorited, or even just read this story!

**Warnings:** Cussing, blood, murder, little insanity (not funny insanity, real insanity), character death.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach, or it's character, or anything related to it.

"Speaking"  
_"Thoughts"__  
_**"Notes/Writing"**

* * *

Chapter Seven  
_Meeting_**  
**

A sigh escaped her lips as she turned her gaze away from the red clip and towards the road. It was, for once, empty. Not a soul stirred outside, besides the occasional owl, dog, or cat. She began walking, heading off the twins' property. The stones beneath her feet didn't budge when she stepped on them. Her eye lids drooped slightly and a yawn passed her lips, but when her left foot hit the pavement she broke into a run.

The wind passing by her face was all that woke her up. Her pounding footsteps was all that she could hear, and the silence was almost unbearable. Almost. But, even though it was so quite, it gave her time to think. She knew that she felt like something was wrong, but couldn't figure out why. _"Wonder why..."_ She shook her head to clear out the thoughts and focused on the road.

After a few seconds of more silence a dog barked, startling her. _"Heh, guess I just forgot to be alert to any other sounds. But that dog sounded a little mean..."_ She shook her head once more and slipped the clip into her pocket. _"Don't want to drop it accidentally. That would be bad."_

The pavement turned to dirt suddenly and she looked around at her surroundings. _"Jeez, its times like these that I'm glad I can run for a long amount of time," _she thought absentmindedly. The houses and other buildings were slowly being spread out as she continued to run. Soon there were none.

_"It's almost funny how afraid these people are of him. They won't even use the property near the forest, let alone some distance away. But they do have a good reason to. He's killed, what, seventeen people in the past two weeks?" _She thought as her eyes barely caught the dim outline of the forest in the distance. _"Still, if they would stop entering the forest in the first place then the deaths would probably stop... Eh, I don't understand people."_

Her pace slowed as she eyed the trees cautiously. _"Doesn't seem like there's anything out of the ordinary..." _She stopped completely as she thought, slipping her hand into her pocket. Her fingers wrapped around the clip slowly. _"I don't know if this will work, but I guess it's worth a shot... Wait, are those cars?" _Her gaze was fixed on the two vehicles that were parked on the side of the road. One was black, while the other was blue. _"Those look like... Renji's and Rangiku's! Does this mean that their here? Or are they...?" _

She shook her head hard and slapped her forehead with her hand that wasn't clenching the clip. With a slow breath, she pulled her hand out of her pocket and cupped both her hands around her mouth. _"Please don't let me drop the clip. I might not be able to find it again if I do." _She thought before she shouted into the still air.

"Renji! Matsumoto! Are you guys here?" Silence was all that answered her. She bit the side of her thumb nervously, and started walking towards the forest. Her fingers slowly slid along the clip, as if seeking answers from it. _"God, I hope their not in there... But knowing Renji I wouldn't be surprised..."_

A twig snapped and she jumped slightly, on edge. _"I didn't realize I was this far in already," s_he thought as she dodged around several trees. Her eyes darted from side to side, trying to see in the darkness. _"If I had to guess, he should be somewhere around the center of the forest... I just hope that nothing else gets me before I reach him..." _A shiver racked her body at the thought of being killed by something that wasn't Ichigo.

_"I should be close by now... At least, I hope I am..." _A confused expression found it's way onto her face when she heard a voice. _"Is that him...? Who is he talking to...? And why would he be talking?" _She thought worriedly as the words became clearer.

"Who is "Shiro", exactly?"

Her eyebrows scrunched together. _"I recognize that name... It's Rangiku's nickname for Hitsugaya... But why would he know that...?"_ Her eyes widened as she stopped walking, standing beside a tree. She had just realized something. _"Oh god, he's got her!"_

"N-nobody! He's nobody, I swear!" Came Matsumoto's reply. _"She sounds really desperate and pathetic... The Rangiku I know wouldn't sound that way..." _She thought when she calmed down enough. Slowly she peered past the trees she was standing by and saw them in the clearing. Her eyes darted to Renji's body, then back to them, her face slowly growing pale. A loud hiss reached her ears and she became even more confused. _"Did he... Just hiss?"_

"You're lying," he said and she stared at them, hearing a loud crunching noise. _"What did he just do? And for what reason? God, why is this all so confusing?" _She thought as she tried to get a better look at them. This was done by inching her way forward, towards them.

"N-no! I'm not lying! He's really nobody!" Matsumoto said quickly. She saw the older woman wince slightly but couldn't see why. _"Why did she wince? Is he doing something to her? Or holding a weapon against her? Argh! I need to get closer than this, but if I get any closer then he'll probably see me! ... Wait, what am I worried about? If what Yuzu and Karin said was true, then I should be fine, as long as I show him this clip before he kills me."_

She inched forward again and winced when a loud crack echoed from her hiding place. Looking down at her foot, she noticed a twig sticking out from under it. _"Crap!" _Her gaze went to the others and she almost cowered when Ichigo turned and looked at her. She watched as his golden eyes narrowed dangerously, and she gulped when he opened his mouth.

"Who ever you are, get out here now so that I can slaughter you!" She cringed. _"Well, there goes my "getting closer without being spotted" plan. Here goes nothing," _she took a deep breath as she thought and stepped out of the clearing.

"Rukia! What the hell!? What are you doing here!?" Rangiku shouted, her blue eyes wide. She licked her lips and glanced at the older, blonde woman, then turned her gaze back to the freak who was glaring daggers at her.

"Let her go," she said slowly, praying to whatever deity that would listen. _"Please don't let him kill me, please, please, please! I don't want to die!" _She thought quickly, then fidgeted nervously.

"And why, exactly, should I do that?" He asked slowly, his grip on Matsumoto loosening slightly. _"How should I answer? Should I speak...? No..." _Her gaze was darting back and forth between him and her friend. Her hand slowly loosened around the clip and she held it out in front of her.

Her eyes widened when she saw him suddenly appear in front of her. He snatched the clip out of her hand, making her wince at the speed. _"H-how did he do that? It's not human! ... Oh, yeah, I somehow forgot. He's a demon. Must be one of his powers...?" _She watched as he studied the clip before looking back at her.

"I don't know how or why you got this, but this is my sister's hair clip. If you have it then they must have sent you for some reason that I couldn't even begin to imagine. So, I suppose I can let you and your friends live, for now." He said, handing the clip back to her.

Another sigh passed her lips, but this time in relief. _"Oh thank god!" _She slipped the clip into her pocket and went over to Rangiku, who had her good hand over the cut in her throat.

"Why are you here though?" He asked her, and received a shrug from the short woman in reply.

"Well, originally I was just curious about you and our sisters gave me that clip so that I could talk to you. But when I saw what you did to Renji and what you were going to do to Matsumoto, I guess I just panicked." She said, looking over at him. His eyes were narrowed in thought.

_"This girl is very strange. She's practically fearless right now, unless she's hiding it... But, I don't get it. She's seen what I can do, and she must know that if I get to ticked off that I'll kill her... Damn her. She's to brave for her own good." _He thought, staring at her as he did so.

She was helping Matsumoto to her feet now, and almost sighed when she saw Ichigo slip the dagger into his belt. Even if it was covered in blood. _"It's probably mostly Renji's. From what I can see here, it looks almost as if he traced his tattoos with it..." _She cringed at the thought, which didn't go unnoticed. _"But first I have to figure out what I need to do now that I'm actually speaking to this freak... Well, introductions would be a good way to start."_

"Care to tell me your name?" She asked as she walked over to Renji. The blood that covered him made her want to gag, but at least he was alive.

"It's politer to say your own name first before asking someone else's." He said as he crossed his arms over his chest. She looked at him suddenly, surprised and he raised an eyebrow. _"What? Did she think that all because I'm a stupid demon that I don't know my own manners? God, Yuzu and Karin had better be right about this..."_

"Oh, right... Rukia Kuchiki," she said, slightly in shock. _"I never knew that he knew the difference between being polite and rude... Guess I probably should stop listening to Renji when he's talking about him. I honestly thought he hadn't gotten an education in anything but speech... Guess I was wrong..."_

"Ichigo Kurosaki," he replied and watched the blonde look back and forth between them.

_"I don't think I even want to tell that psycho my name..."_

* * *

**A/N:** I'm actually pretty happy with this chapter, since I wrote it in less that four hours. But I'm sorry if it seemed a little rushed to anyone. I couldn't seem to make it work at all, so it might of seemed rushed. Or at least it did to me. Anyway, next chapter'll be up soon! Tell me what 'ya think!


	9. They

**A/N: **God, sorry for such a long wait! I had massive writers block that I only just got rid of and I've been writing a little on Fiction Press. So, I hope this chapter makes up for some of it. Thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited and followed this story! Enjoy!

**Warnings:** Cussing, blood, murder, little insanity (not funny insanity, real insanity), character death.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach, or it's character, or anything related to it.

"Speaking"  
_"Thoughts"__  
_**"Notes/Writing"**

* * *

Chapter Eight  
_They_

Her eyes darted down to Renji as Rangiku fidgeted under the his cold gaze. _"God, he's covered in blood. Well, at least his wounds are not that deep." _She nudged him with her foot and caused him to jerk, telling her that he wasn't dead, yet. Her eyes darted back up to Ichigo and frowned softly. "Well, I guess I'm pleased to meet you?" It came out more like a question, and caused her to receive a snort in reply.

Kneeling down beside her friend she gazed nervously at the deeper of his wounds. She pressed a finger to one of the cuts and heard a low hiss come from him.

"If your wondering if he needs medical attention, then the answer is yes. He'll die of blood loss in an hour," her violet eyes narrowed as she heard him talk and she lifted her head, glaring at him now.

"Do you think I don't know that, sheesh!" She motioned for Matsumoto to come over to her quickly before she continued. "Why do you do this sort of thing, anyway?" Her blonde friend scrambled up as she asked the question and went over to her quickly, refusing to look at Ichigo.

A shrug was her response. "I don't usually. But he annoyed me." She could see a frown on her friends lips as they both attempted to lift Renji so that they could carry him. "It'd be best for one of you, probably the stronger of you two, to carry him by his shoulders and the other by his legs."

They both looked over at him, startled. He was gazing at them with a bored expression and his arms were crossed over his chest. "Why are you telling us this?" Matsumoto said, her voice slightly hoarse.

Another shrug. "Does it matter?" He asked, looking up at the sky. "You two should probably hurry though, otherwise you might just be to late," he spun on his heel and started walking deeper into the forest.

"Hey wait!" Rukia shouted, nearly dropping Renji as she gripped his shoulders. "Your not going to help us?"

He glared over her shoulder at her and caused her to inwardly flinch. "It seems that you have forgotten that I was the one who did that to him, so obviously I couldn't care less if he lives or dies." The wind blew, twisting his orange hair just before he vanished.

"Okay, ha ha, where the hell did he go?" Rangiku asked, laughing a little nervously as she gripped Renji's legs. Her blue eyes darted back and forth as she tried to spot Ichigo in the forest's surprisingly alive foliage.

"Don't know. But I do know that we need to go!" She responded as she started walking back the way she came. _"How did he do that...? Hmp, well, either way that's just another question that I'm going to ask that stupid jerk the next time I see him."_

* * *

Ichigo rolled his shoulders as he appeared out of nowhere, startling the crow that was standing on a rock a few feet away from him. His golden eyes were narrowed as he shook his head. "Feh. I still don't understand human's and their need to save their companions, or their stupid determination," he grumbled as he walked past the rock, heading towards the darkest part of the forest.

The crow ruffled it's feathers slightly as it watched him before shaking it's head and taking flight, flying just above him.

"Just gotta hope that the other's don't hear about this. I shouldn't have made that deal with the twins. It was stupid and if they hear about this, then it'll probably cost me," he ranted to himself, slightly soothed by the sound of the crow's beating wings. He glanced upwards as he entered the dense, darkest part of the forest. His eyes narrowed so that he could make out the outline of his destination.

* * *

Rangiku huffed and puffed as they finally reached the edge of the forest. _"God, I'm dead tired. Stupid Renji," _she thought as she watched her shorter companion attempt to wave down a passing vehicle. _"Man, that dude was freaking crazy. Ah well, all I need right now is a drink."_

Rukia waved her arms violently as she stood in the middle of the road, trying to get a passing truck to stop. _"I guess those twins were right. He really didn't kill me after I showed him the clip. Plus, he sort of helped us, in a way. But he's still a stupid jerk."_ The truck stopped and she grinned slightly.

"Well, well, what are you doing here standing in the middle of the road?" The driver asked her as he peered at her from beneath his green and white striped hat. "And so close to this dreadful forest?"

She took a deep breath before she explained what happened to the driver. All the while she was talking, a frown appeared on his face. Finally she pointed over towards Matsumoto and Renji, "Will you help us?"

"Mmmm. Yes, I suppose we will," the driver said as he popped a random sucker into his mouth and turned off the truck momentarily. He glanced over his shoulder for a moment, before nodding his head and glancing over at his companion in the passenger seat.

The driver and the other man jumped out of the truck, startling her blonde friend slightly. They both went over to Renji and picked him up in a similar fashion to how Ichigo had instructed them to. "Please open the back door that's closest to us," the driver requested and she did so. They place Renji in the back seat, then turned to them.

"Now then, you two'll have to get in the back. Even though I do believe introductions are in order, we'll have to do them once we get your friend to the hospital," the driver said as he waved a fan in front of his face, covering most of it besides his eyes.

"Right..." They said, both of them not really trusting him, as they got into the back. They felt the truck rumble and Rukia's violet eyes gazed towards the forest once more as they began heading towards the city.

_"He's just to weird... I wonder what his story is... Guess I'll have to go back in order to get answers, now won't I."_

* * *

His hands ran over the smooth surface of the cave he was standing in front of. A frown painted his lips as he glanced around, the crow sitting on his shoulder. He sighed softly and dropped his hand back to his side. "Maybe they won't know...?" He asked himself softly.

"Ha! Don't make me laugh, dear Strawberry! You honestly believe that we wouldn't find out?"

He jumped at the sound of the voice that was filled with laughter. His golden eyes widened as he looked up and saw a quick flash of white, blue, and green. One word passed through his mind.

_"Shit!"_

* * *

**A/N: **Haha! Yatta! I got it done! Er... sorry, I'm just happy that I got it done. Anyway, have I interested you by any chance, hmmm? Or did it sound to rushed? Well, I tried not to make it sound to rushed... Anyway, tell me what you thought and I'll try to be better with updating. Ja ne!


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